


Forced Relief

by msdonnatemplenoble



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Broken TARDIS, Drabble, Fluff, Humor, Jack in boxer shorts, Practical Jokes, Team TARDIS, annoyed tardis, grumpy doctor, possible skinny dipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 12:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7574407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msdonnatemplenoble/pseuds/msdonnatemplenoble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A broken temperature regulator is making things too hot to handle for Team TARDIS and the Doctor is getting tired of the complaining from his human companions. As a matter of fact, the TARDIS is getting tired of the Doctor's complaining about his companions.</p><p>Something needs to be done, but how are they ever going to find some relief?</p><p>Thank the universe for the quick thinking of one Captain Jack Harkness!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forced Relief

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the @timepetals 100 dabble prompt "relief".

“Doctor, when can we leave this place? I feel like ’m meltin’,” Rose moaned for the umpteenth time in the past one hour, thirty-two minutes and fifty-three seconds.

The Doctor opened his mouth to tell her, once again, that they’d take off once the repairs to the TARDIS had been completed. That was when Jack decided to join in on the noise with his own brand of “helpfulness”.

“If you weren’t wearing so many clothes Rosie, you wouldn’t feel quite so hot,” he smirked at her, sweat glistening upon his forehead telling a different story as he poked out from under the flight console wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts the Doctor insisted he put on when he came out of his room when the temperature started soaring inside his beloved ship.

It wasn’t that the Doctor wasn’t hot. Even with his naturally lower body temperature and superior physiology, he was uncomfortable. Not that he’d admit it to these two. The only hint that he might be affected by the rising heat inside the TARDIS was his beloved leather jacket draped carefully over a nearby railing and the pushed up sleeves of his jumper. He crossed his arms in front of him and shook his head in disapproval at his companions.

“Honestly, the lot of you would do nothin’ but stand around and complain all day if I let you,” he scowled in their direction, “Where is that human ingenuity? Or at the very least a bit of common courtesy?” he ran his hand over a nearby coral strut, “this ain’t easy on the ol’ gal either ya’ know. You could take that in account instead of whinnin’ and moanin’. But that’s you lot… Typical,” he scoffed before shaking his head and turning back to tinkering with the TARDIS’ temperature regulator.

It wasn’t that he was cross with Jack and Rose, it was just that; well, he had enough of the complaining thank you very much! Didn’t they realize he was working as fast as he could? He wasn’t exactly enjoying this either!  
It was then that a small shock caused him to jump backwards, dropping the spanner he had been holding in his hand.

“Ow! Whacha go an’ do that for?!” he yelped looking upwards and then around before bending down to retrieve the fallen tool.

Rose covered her mouth quickly to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape so she didn’t antagonise the Doctor further when Jack popped back into full view again.

“Oi! What did I do now?!” he griped looking up at the Time Lord with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. If he thought it was hot before, that was nothing compared to being trapped underneath the console working on the problem. The only consolation to Jack was that all this sweating was probably good for his skin as well as losing a few pounds of retained water weight.

“Not you!” the Doctor growled, “her!” he gestured wildly at the nothing and everything at once, indicating the TARDIS. “Ungrateful cow! ‘ere I am, boilin’ away tryin’ to keep you from burnin’ up and you go and _zap_ me! Maybe I’ll let you cook y’erself? How’d you like that one?!” he huffed stepping back with a little smirk.

Rose stepped forward, “Oh Doctor, you wouldn’t do that to ‘er would you?” she glanced down at Jack, “or us fer that matter, right?” she turned her whiskey coloured eyes back to their disgruntled Doctor and laid her hand gently upon his arm, the picture of demure beauty, all be it, a bit wilted perhaps, but that was besides the point.

Jack chuckled quietly to himself. Rose didn’t miss a trick. He was proud of her. However, he had a feeling that having Rose touch him, gaze up at him like that, might have the opposite effect of cooling the Doctor off that she was hoping for.

The Doctor faulted a bit as he let his steel blue eyes drift back down to Rose. He swallowed hard before averting his eyes and whipped his head around towards Jack. Of course he heard the American’s laugh. Take a look at the ears he regenerated with! He narrowed his eyes in his direction.

“Bah!” he huffed, and pulled away from Rose. He needed a minute to cool off, not that that was likely to happen as he sensed the temperature increased at least ten more degrees in the past half an hour. He crossed his arms across his chest and turned his back on the humans. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting his head fall back slightly.

Jack hopped up and shot Rose a look, a mischievous grin spread across his face, causing his eyes to dance. Rose had no idea what Jack was thinking, but found herself grinning in return, her tongue poking out slightly. Even the air in the TARDIS seemed different, charged. Maybe she knew what Jack had planned?  
The former Time Agent suddenly charged the Doctor as he had his back turned and scooped him off his feet with a little shout. The Doctor, taken completely by surprise, whooped out a protest!

“Jack! What in the bloody… put me back down this instant!” he demanded, as Jack ignored him.

Rose followed behind the two of them as the TARDIS obviously shifted rooms because quite suddenly the pool was directly in front of the two men! She froze in place suddenly aware of what Jack had planned not sure if he was the bravest man she ever met or completely mad!

“Jack!” she called out in warning, no longer sure if this was a good idea, but it was too late as the two men plunged into the cool depths of the TARDIS’ opulent swimming pool.

She rushed to the edge and watched the two men sink slowly down towards the bottom, biting her lower lip as she saw them separate and start making their way towards the surface.

It was Jack who broke the smooth plane of the crystal clear water first, his blue eyes seemingly highlighted in the reflection of the pool. He pushed the hair back from his forehead and grinned at Rose, “Do you see him? Where’s the Doctor?”

Rose glanced about the pool room nervously. She scanned the water, the surrounding room. She didn’t see him.

“Jack,” she began nervously, “I don’t see him! Where’d he go?” she could hear the panic starting to creep into her voice when she caught the slightest glimpse of a smile hiding in Jack’s eyes.

“Jack, what is…” All of a sudden Rose felt herself being lifted into the air as a soaking wet Doctor snuck up behind her and scooped her up bridal style.

“Doctah!” she shrieked, “You put me down right this minute!” she demanded.

The Doctor smiled down at her, “I told you before Rose, y’er wish is my command, and I think I also told you to be careful what you wish for!” his smile only grew wider as her eyes got bigger as she registered what he planned to do.

“No! Doctah! That’s not what I meant…” she protested as she felt him release her over the water.

The Doctor gracefully dived in after her, cutting through the water like a warm knife cuts through butter. He quickly found Rose in the pool’s depths and smiled at her as he grabbed her hand and kicked his powerful legs to propel them back up towards the surface together.

As they broke the plane, she wrapped an arm around his neck as the three of them bobbed in place in the water. The TARDIS turned down the overhead lighting, replacing it with an artificial sky full of twinkling stars and beautiful moons shining down upon them.

Jack sighed, “So, does this mean you’re not about to drown me Doctor?” he laughed as he observed a rather happy looking Time Lord with Rose wrapped around him.

The Doctor forgot to be upset with the human, “I’ll spare you this time, Jack, but there better not be a next time,” he threatened, clearly bluffing.

Rose sighed, “You ‘ave to admit, this is a relief!” she trailed her hand along in the water before giving Jack a little splash, grateful for his impromptu if not completely barmy idea.

Jack grinned wildly, “Hey, what can I say, I’m not just all good looks you know!” he splashed her back before his smile turned into a smirk, “You know what would make this a really great idea?” he leered.

“NO!” the Doctor responded flatly, “no skinny dippin’ in me pool!”

“You're no fun,” Jack pouted and splashed him mightily before swimming off calling, “and you might possibly be too late!”

“JACK!” the Doctor growled, “you’d better not be serious! Jack!” he looked at Rose, who by now was giggling uncontrollably.


End file.
